I Will Really Appreciate Your Help!!

I am about to take out an advert that has become an annual event for me. A client once asked me to support the local scout group by having an advert in their Christmas post directory to raise funds for them. Being an old scout myself I didn’t hesitate and I have done it each year since. The problem is that the directory goes to some 5,000 homes in the area but isn’t a publication that I would normally use as relevant to my prospective target clients. This is proven by the lack of substantial response from my advert each year.

I am always telling you here to make sure that every £1 you spend on marketing earns a profit so… the challenge this year is to formulate an advert that will have such an irresistable call to action that someone receiving this directory in their home around Christmas will be motivated to respond.

This brings me to where I will really appreciate some feedback from you.

I have so many things in my head after all these years as an Accountant, having lived and worked through many ups and downs in our ever changing economy, that I simply can’t decide which aspect of business to focus the advert on to help the most people. I have so many possibilities they are blowing my mind. I will really value your opinion as to which area of accountancy, bookkeeping, business, marketing, tax, cash flow or even tips on business survival in a recession might be of real interest to a householder/business person over the Christmas period. Compelling enough to get them to visit the web page I am setting up and ask for the report I am going to write specially for the advert.

I am sure you will appreciate that I cannot write the report until I know which area the ad will focus on… a real conundrum! I have a really talented young designer waiting to put the advert together, I have the website registered, I have the ideas… I just need your help with the focus!!

The list above isn’t all the possibilities, you may have a totally different area or topic that you feel will be of interest to the most people that isn’t mentioned so please let me know.

I am really looking forward to hearing from you about this. I will give a very public thankyou and a small prize for the best suggestion that becomes the one I use… as well as making sure that each of you get a copy of the report when it is written of course!

I am a qualified Certified Practising Accountant having passed my final exams way back in 1981. I actually can’t believe that was 37 years ago!! Anyway, I am now in my 60’s and I have been running my own business since May 1983. And before you ask, no, I have never regretted a moment of it!
Part of the membership requirements of my professional body now dictate that I spend quite a lot of time on “CPD” - continuing professional education (one of their better ideas) - and over the last two years I decided to study business growth and marketing.
I have learnt such a lot and that knowledge has radically changed my old “accountants” approach to business. It has made such a difference to the way I work and operate I feel that I just have to pass on this knowledge. It is simply too powerful to hold back!! - but I will try and do it in simple terms rather than expecting you to spend hours, as I had to, working through the difficult language that trainers seem to use to pass on their concepts.
I hope you find the blog a useful resource and interesting place to visit as the months pass. I will do my best to keep up the flow - but if there are any topics you would like me to cover, then please let me know.
Ray Stewart